----- Original Message ----- From: "Boris Liberman" Subject: On keeping lenses and bodies.
> > I have several mechanical lenses (pure K mount) and some "electronic" > lenses (KAF mount). I wonder how should I keep them: > > 1. mounted on camera? Keep the one you use as your "default" lens on your camera. It makes things a little quicker to make photographs. > 2. set to widest/narrowest aperture and off camera? With Pentax lenses, I believe set to the smallest aperture keeps the mechanism relaxed, and also keeps the aperture blades less likely to become fouled if lubricant migrates. > > I am mostly concerned with preserving as much as possible the aperture > mechanism. > > I have one more question, this time about the body. Back in my Zenit > time I was told that the best way to keep the camera is with shutter > __not__ cocked - this prolongs the life of shutter. Now with ZX-L I > cannot force it to be uncocked. Though I suppose that with ME Super > the cocking of the film advance lever also cocks the shutter. How > should I keep either of the two? Again, I am mainly concerned with > keeping the mechanics for as long as possible in the best possible > shape. This only matters with mechanical shutter mechanisms. The theory is that by leaving the shutter uncocked, the springs that run the shutter are not under tension. With your ME Super shutter, I would leave uncocked if possible, since there is a mechanical component to the actuation (there is one mechanical speed). With the fully electronic MZ-L, it doesn't matter if the shutter is left cocked or not, as it is electrically actuated, not mechanical. > > At the moment what I am doing, since recently though, is to take off > the lenses from their respective bodies. Set them to narrowest > aperture (since my KAF lenses being on A have their aperture set to > narrowest value). Put all caps on and that's it. > > Am I paranoic? Are you? <grin> I believe your Russian heritage may make you more paranoid than most of us.....:-) William Robb
